Life in the Vertical: Costumes at the Creek- Wham Bam Hand Jam!

After decompressing at home in Mammoth for several days, having nightmares about coiling ropes, Jen and I packed up a few tons of car camping gear, firewood and >3.2% beer and headed off to the sandstone splitter capital of the known world, Indian Creek, UT. I feel ashamed and embarrased that I had never before visited to Creek, even after making a few trips to the Moab area. This place absolutely tore my doors off.

I was stoked that a couple of my good friends, Geoff Schellens and Troutman were also out there and we constructed a major command center campsite that served as our basecamp for 10 days of jamming, locking, chicken winging and hand stacking.

Power Wall, Second Meat Wall, Battle of the Bulge, Supercrack Buttess, any of these cliffs would be area super classics of they existed anywhere else, but at the Creek, they are just another cliff stacked with splitters. Pick a crack size, put 8-10 of the same size Camalot on your harness, and start plugging!

Jen starts chopping away on Crack Attack 5.11-

The crack starts attacking right back!

The climbing is steep and the routes are long, requiring technique and endurance, both of which I lack in. So the curve was steep, but among some of the classic routes we got on were Tofu Crack, Incredible Hand Crack, Top Sirloin, Crack Attack and Gorilla Crack.

The best part though, was the Halloween party up at Supercrack Buttress! Everybody showed up wearing their costumes, some of which made the climbs significantly harder!

It's GO TIME!

Caped crusading on Incredible Hand Crack 5.10

Jen demonstrates a proper troiseme for us

Captain America/Geoff Schellens. See Lost Arrow Spire TR for more spandex shenanigans!

After Halloween, we were pretty worked, and headed north to Moab to get a little higher off the ground and climb in Castle Valley on the famous Fine Jade route on the Rectory opposite Castleton Tower. Despite a restless sleep next to the roadside in Castle Valley and a classic episode of sandbagging by Mr. Jim Donini, we managed to get our tired butts up the thing. The climbing on Fine Jade was stout but of very high quality, with views of the La Sals, Fisher Towers and Arches NP, the route is not to be missed.